


LifeLine Special: The Matchmaker

by DanDeeLion



Series: Sword and Shield Series [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bottom Eren Yeager, Domestic Fluff, First Dates, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Matchmaking, Sweet Eren Yeager, Top Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:33:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22750303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanDeeLion/pseuds/DanDeeLion
Summary: Eren decided to spend the first day of his vacation with his boyfriend, and it just so happened to be Valentine' Day
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Series: Sword and Shield Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1635742
Kudos: 35





	LifeLine Special: The Matchmaker

**Author's Note:**

> Hello guys, now for those who are new, this is actually a side story to my other AoT fic, which is called LifeLine. Now, you actually can read this short fic, as a stand-alone since this is a short story that happened before any of the events in the other story. That said, you guys can say, this is a prequel to the story, and may shed some light on Eren and Levi's relationship before. That said, thank you, and do check out LifeLine for new readers who came here first before the other.

Eren reread the letter five times before it fully sunk into him exactly what Erwin had offered. No tricks, nor underlying fine print of a deal. From all the years he’d worked with the very forward and ambitious blond man, Eren’s grown used to having to wait with bated breath on the catch in every decision the Survey Corp’s commander had. 

“You’re giving all the scouts a week off duties…” He finally vocalized the order on the printed document he had to deliver to the capital. “Did Armin do something amazing in bed to have this decision made?” While Eren liked to poke teasing remarks where his friends are concerned, he didn’t stifle the laugh at the beet-red color of Erwin’s face, even as he tried to keep his composure.

“I figured, the soldiers needed time to recuperate, besides,” Erwin lifted his head from the document he had been composing on the computer and sighed. “Levi told me over breakfast how you’re sleepwalking again.” 

Eren winced at the mention of his unconscious state. His habitual sleepwalking had been a topic that Grisha observed when he first lived with the doctor, and later a worry that left Levi having restless nights. It wasn’t the first time since a month ago that Eren suggested for Levi to strap him down on the bed to avoid the nightly walks, but the arguments that followed only had them go around in circles without a proper solution. After the whole ordeal during the 145th expedition, the nightmares came back with a vengeance. Scratching the back of his head, Eren took the document and sealed it within the envelope before handing it back to Erwin to press the wax seal of the Wings of Freedom. 

After the whole issue of spies within the government system, Eren had become the King’s messenger for the time being while Eldia adjusted to the railroad projects that connect cities from Rose to Sina. He tucked it into the inner pocket of his coat, while Erwin dismissed him from the office. With a bounce to his step, Eren dashed along the bustling streets of Sina. The royal palace was situated at the center of Sina, where the twin spiral towers serve as the focal point for the citizens. Eren pulled the hood of his cloak over his head while weaving through the growing crowds that flocked to the first shipment of silks from Hizuru. Long, intricately woven garments and cloth hung along with the marketplace, cascading vibrant hues of color. Only twice in a month, did trade from other countries come to the little island nation. With little of what Eldia could offer, even less foreign trade came in.

_That’s why the titan crystals were crucial_ . He’d recall Moblit’s old remarks about the mineral. Hizuru merchants stood by their supplies, arms draped with refined silken dresses that Mikasa once mentioned being called, _kimonos_ , a traditional form of clothing in Hizuru and other Asian countries. Mikasa’s oriental features were near the same with the tall, and slender woman that showed off a blue kimono that had woven swans along its length. The Hizuru woman’s face had that small touch of make-up to accentuate her eyes and lips. Thick, black kohl-lined her small slanted eyes, and a cherry red lipstick lips. It was hard to tell for Eren how young or old the woman was. Her black hair, tied up to an intricate bun and held in place by an ivory comb. 

A sort of agile grace came from the woman, from the way she moved around the haggling customers with the unwavering serene smile on her face. Eren observed her for a few more heartbeats until the woman’s eyes drifted to his, and for a fraction of a moment, the woman smiled at him. Unconsciously, Eren grinned back, the woman made her way toward him, ignoring the ogled stares from the men that watched her every move. “Hello there cat-eyes.” her voice had a subtle slur of a person that clearly spoke with only a basic grasp of the modern Eldian language. It reminded Eren of his early years of learning before Armin and Mikasa knocked the accent right out of him.

He stood straighter, and though he could say as much for being taller than his grumpy boyfriend, the lady stood several inches taller than him. “Cat-eyes?” Eren had been called many things, but it was a new name added to the ever-growing list.

“Yes, cat-eyes.” The lady stepped forward, and by impulse, Eren stepped back, before having to sidestep the sudden swing of the lady’s arm. She flicked open a large, red-feathered fan before tucking it closer to her body. “Emerald has always been a symbol of power from my homeland. Power, from a jewel...and luck from the mischievous felines.” She extended her slim free hand toward Eren, “Yuki, and you?”

“Eren,” He mumbled back and shook her hand. His brows furrowed at how ice-cold her skin was against his palm, before the lady, Yuki, withdrew her hand just as another man came and stood close to her. The man had the same slanted eyes, and pale complexion as Yuki, however, he wore a form-fitted grey pinstripe suit. His dark hair, combed back and showed more of the small dragon tattoo that began from his neck, and curled around the back of his ear. 

“And who is this friendly cat you found Yuki?” He asked, and Eren tried to hide his surprise at fluent English the man spoke. Yuki looped her arm with his and laced their fingers together as if it were the most natural occurrence between the two. The way the man looked at Yuki with quiet adoration made Eren wonder if Levi ever shared such a look with him, that he hadn’t noticed.

“Cole, this is Eren, he is…” Yuki hesitated and began to speak quickly in another language while the taller man, leaned closer to listen and nod every now and then. When she finished, Cole laughed with merit in his eyes, while Eren still stood there, shifting his weight from one foot to another, unsure of whether to stay or go. The letter wasn’t needed urgently at the palace, and he doubted, the King wouldn’t mind his little detour. In fact, he would’ve sat Eren down for lunch and asked him about the foreign couple, he met. 

With a last squeeze of his fingers against hers, Yuki bowed between the two males and sauntered her way back to the commotion of the silk business with the Eldians. Hands in his pockets, Cole examines Eren, and the brunette did the same. It was hard for Eren to tell the man’s age, but none would even believe him if he mentioned his own age without them going pale as a ghost and running for the hills. Then, Cole smiled, and relaxed his posture. “My wife, Yuki, you see, is a Seer. In the Eldian tongue, you could say that she is a matchmaker of a sort. People come to her for advice about the heart, or if their fated one is near.” 

“She’s a mage then?” Eren said, recalling those times in the past of his mother’s friends that told fortune and read the stars for the villagers. The two of them settled by a bench away from the shouting merchants and the periodical men carrying carts full of fine fabrics down from the trucks and onto the makeshift stalls. 

The older man lifted a curious eyebrow at the term and hummed. “There is magic with love, yes, but not the kind that could be controlled or predicted with pinpoint accuracy. Love is alive, and it works as a double-edged weapon that needs a balanced hand between both persons.” Just then, Eren’s phone vibrated against his pocket, but he ignored it as he listened to the peculiar man’s speech about love. It was a subject that came and went so few and in between for him. War and killing had been too deeply ingrained into his system, that the emotions of the heart still needed a lot of advice and explanations from his friends. Levi even more so, couldn’t express himself truthfully to him, that they were a couple that fumbled in the dark when it comes to such intimacy. “Our people, however, we believe in the destined one, how there is only one other person to make us whole. We are connected to that being by an invisible string, and no matter the distance, your fate will always entangle with that person.” 

Eren wanted to laugh at the idea, and how similar it was to being bonded by spells between a lance corporal and the sword. He wanted to humor the man, but Cole pulled out a small black card with a drawn picture of a fox with a red ribbon tied to its neck. “Yuki saw how vibrant that cord that ties you to your fated one was earlier. She wanted to meet both of you tonight...to celebrate the night of love.”

Ahhh, Eren thought, failing to realize that the date was true, Valentine’s Day. Or what he used to know as the day of Venus before it got renamed. He flipped the simple black card over to find Cole’s phone number scribbled in neat handwriting. “This isn’t some weird blind date experience, right? I’m taken,” Saying the words out loud still made him uncomfortable, not that he was ashamed of stating his claim on Levi, but rather, declarations as such felt weird on his tongue from the decades of killing people after every beck or call.

The man stood, just as Eren heard his name being called from the distance. His ears perked up at the sound that came from the person he’d once hated and eventually love. “Think about it, untangle those little knots through the bond with Yuki tonight.” Colt waved him farewell while Eren tracked his way toward the tall purple tent pitched along with the makeshift stalls in the marketplace for foreign trade. 

Eren tucked the card in his pocket before he felt slim fingers lightly scratching the top of his head. He closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, as a smile slowly lifted his lips. “You’re taking your leisure time, shitty brat. I was waiting outside the palace until the bloody sun was killing me.”

Of course, it was likely for the Raven to wait for him at the palace before going to meet Erwin and Pixis. Much as the other high ranking officials have begun to trust Levi, there was still protocol to follow. Levi’s still not permitted toward private meetings or even allowed his own ventures to other cities in Eldia without Eren or any of the commanders, the raven didn’t mind the restrictions, if it meant that he could spend the majority of the time with Eren. “I have a job.” Eren patted his bag before he stood up, and like a short shadow, Levi tailed him.

At the mere realization of the day’s significance, Eren felt like the world around him flooded with tiny reminders of hearts, and flowers. There were giant displays of bouquets outside flower shops in different combinations and arrangements. Some men came out from stores carrying boxes of gifts wrapped in red ribbons, and a lot of couples walking the streets with their arms around one another or wearing the same outfit. Unconsciously, as they walked, his eyes would shift to Levi, even as the man retained his same bored expression and stared straight ahead. In public, the two of them acted as they normally do, the brunette initiating conversations, and Levi only replying in his own snarky yet endearing bricker type of comments. 

The two of them took the less crowded route back to the castle grounds after they arrived at a roadblock due to the evening Valentine’s party that would happen by the lake on the outskirts of Sina. “Have you ever spent Valentine’s Day with someone before?” The question was out of Eren’s mouth the minute they exited the bustling street of merchants that tried to let Eren take a quick bite from their free samples of chocolate goodies from their confectionery stores.

Right next to him, Levi went stiff and stopped walking altogether. In all of the times that he’d spent with the Raven, Eren could only count the number of times of catching the Wolf of Marley surprise and flustered. The very first time he rendered the famous Wolf of Marley completely stunned and speechless was during the time Levi challenged Eren to a spar with wooden swords and shields. “Yeah,” Levi said so softly, that if it weren’t for Eren’s extremely good hearing he wouldn’t have caught it. Along with the flicker of hesitation in Levi’s gaze when those gunmetal eyes met his green ones.

“Oh...you and Zeke...right.” Eren suddenly found the streak of mud under his shoes a lot more interesting than wanting to divulge in Levi’s ex...that he once supported before the two were at each other’s throat. “You know what, forget it,” He laughed nervously and quicken his steps up the stairs to the servant’s entrance of the castle. 

Levi caught up with him by the doors and grabbed his hand. “Brat, calm down, it's just-” Eren blinked in his own surprise as he watched Levi fumble with the right words to explain, though, he was far from jealous, Maria, no. All he thought was that he was overstepping his nosiness into the issue. The raven didn’t like talking about his old partner in the military, any more than he wanted to talk about the brutal fight that nearly went to the point of killing the blond Yeager. “Look, you just asked an innocent question. You’re new with all these sappy holidays and crap.” Levi lifted his eyes and glared daggers at the amused expression that lit Eren’s entire face.

He was curious about Valentine, and though he had witnessed his mother celebrate it with Grisha in the past, he wasn’t in the receiving or sending end of it. “So tell me, then, how did you spend Valentine’s Day?” 

The Raven sighed before they resumed walking through the castle corridors. In the past, Eren only perceived the day as an occasion for men to hulk around flowers through the castle or court with the maids or fellow soldiers. The King made it a joyous occasion once when he was new to the palace and actually held grand parties for his wife. With the war and his illness, the parties dwindled to a thing of the past. That day, Eren noticed the ambiance of blooming red roses placed on the breast pockets of the Military Police stationed around the castle. He even laughed once he found Marlow by the courtyard clipping thorns out from roses for a vase.

“Shut it, Yeager! These are orders from the Queen, and I am not afraid to use their sheers on you!” Hitch slapped him on the back, causing him to flinch and rolled her eyes.

“Idiot, we better just finish this, I don’t want to miss lunch because we are having a flower arrangement class.” She muttered, and Eren truly felt sorry for them but Levi wasn’t having any of it and dragged Eren back to the main corridors to the King’s office. Having an anti-social, man for a boyfriend meant a shorter span of patience for small talk. It’s been an on and off question for Eren if the opposite attraction really worked its magic for both of them. “I don’t like flowers much.” Levi finally said once they reached the King’s quarters. The guards stationed there, only announced their presence before the huge double doors swing inward. 

“Not a sappy romantic, I know.” Eren chuckled, as King Rowan glanced up from behind his desk. His crown lay on top of his bedside table, while he wore only a light long sleeve cream shirt and a pair of loose black slacks. The King’s blond hair already thin with age, but the steel grey eyes still had that same spark that made Eren know how the king plotted plans the way a pro player plays chest, which the King was also great in. 

“You two took your time, I was beginning to wonder if scurrying to date had been plotted already.” King Rowan mused, with a gentle smile, but Eren felt the heat rise to his face and willed his hands to stay on his sides, rather than check if his ears were also bright red.

Beside him, Levi merely frowned, and shrugged his shoulders, while the brunette pulled the letter from his bag. “Will there be a party for the day?” 

“Sina celebrates Valentine’s?” Levi asked back, already making himself comfortable by the King’s table where an array of biscuits were placed at the center, next to a glass pot of sweet tea. The King nodded for Eren to take a seat as well, and sat on the other chair next to Levi, eying the fruit tarts while the Raven poured himself the cool drink and held the delicate glass by the rim. The uniqueness of Ackermans never failed to leave Eren genuinely fascinated to the point of amusement. 

“Yes, my wife, Elise, enjoys the day. In fact, we met on Valentine’s Day.” A sentimental, and somber expression warmed the King’s eyes while he held the letter knife and grazed it through the envelope, he hummed a tune, while Eren snatched a couple of tarts from the tray and nibbled on the crusts. Next to him, Levi sipped through his tea, but Eren noticed how Levi began tapping the heel of his boot on the floor, which meant that the other male was slowly ticking his patience in the room, found it too rude to interrupt the ruling monarch of Eldia. “I know the times of having these international trades and guests into the capital keeps us all busy from the usual festivities, but,” Rowan paused to read the letter, and reached for his stamp and ink within the drawers of his desk. “It seems, everyone has their own idea of unwinding.”

“The past excursion had taken a lot of toll from the Survey Corps,” Eren added, while Levi lifted an eyebrow his direction, an unspoken question which, he would find out later the full meaning of the vacation time Erwin gave them. King Rowan, pressed the stamp on the dark blue ink, before placing his approval on the bottom of Erwin’s request, and later, signing it with a pen. 

“I hit the mark on that date, then Yeager?” King Rowan bemused and raised his voice. “Wentz! Come in here, I need your assistance.” Immediately, the door through the servant’s quarters opened, and a red-haired servant with a bucktooth grin entered the room and bowed to the king. The young fourteen-year-old kid tried to enter the Military Police for training, but after discovering the kid had no voice and spoke in sign language, he wouldn’t qualify for any of the duties of a soldier. Before Hannes or the other drill sergeants sent him on the next train back to Trost, the kid hid within one of the King’s summer homes near the training camp. Wentz’s ability to be as quiet as a ghost made it near impossible for anyone to find him until Eren caught him hiding within unused servant tunnels through the walls. King Rowan, then decided to keep the boy and used him as his eyes and ears through the palace. The scrawny kid, walked closer to the King, as Rowan ruffled his hair and handed the letter to him. “Give this to my advisors and have them make the announcement for the entire kingdom...and afterward, go to the Doxon’s jewelry store to pick up my order, but don’t let any of the guards see you come in and out alright? Not even my wife.”

Eren tried and failed to hide the laughter bubbling within him, knowing at the King, would obviously fuss over his wife’s gift. Wentz dashed out of the King’s room, and the sound of his steps quickly gone quiet. “Have a fun time, you two. Dismiss.” 

\-------------------------------

“Let me get this straight, so Erwin actually gave the soldiers a week of vacation,” Levi repeated for the fourth time, as Eren sliced through the buttery steak of their evening dinner. Neither of them wanted to join the rest of the scouts at the common rooms or the cafeteria, and instead brought their trays of food into their private room. News of the week off duties had already made the cafeteria into an impromptu tavern, where the senior officers had pitched in to buy large kegs of beer and hauled karaoke machines into the vicinity. During such occasions, Eren would’ve been part of the fun and arranged a party with his fellow cadets, in fact, he was invited by Sasha and Connie to a night of drinking, when he pulled a pass after Levi immediately led him to a short shopping trip with a promise of wine and his cooking for tonight.

The meat already drew a moan of satisfaction from Eren that even with his eyes closed, he can feel the heated gaze of Levi on him, as the spices of the beef caused a symphony of flavors to dance along his tongue. “You definitely know the way to a man’s heart, Ackerman, this steak is amazing.” 

Levi cuts into his own meal first into smaller pieces, and filled both glasses of the crimson red drink, his eyes never leaving Eren’s. “Of course, I’d learn how to make something edible, after growing on horrid military ration shit, Brat.” At the remark, however, the man still smiled and would’ve even growled in triumph with every satisfied sound that poured from Eren’s mouth. 

When he woke up, with the brown-haired beauty snuggled against him, their limbs tangled together under the sheets, and long fingers gently caressing his back, Levi never felt more at peace and content at the pure and undiluted attention from Eren. Before Valentine’s day was just another day in Marley, though, with Zeke, they made it a point to take the day off just to have the day to themselves just for fucks. With so much death and promise of more battles on the field, even the other high ranking generals, would go to the brothels and bars for a quick Valentine’s stress relief. His old relationship with Zeke, filled with just getting by to numb the pain with lust, and shrug it all off for the next day. 

None of those, he could say to Eren. When the gem-eyed scout asked him about Valentine’s he almost caught himself in saying that it was just another holiday to fuck around, but he saw the way Eren’s eyes would fill with curiosity and wonder with every bright red box of chocolate, and the open show of affections by those on the streets. Heck, they’ve held hands and hugged in public before, and most of Eren’s friends and adoptive family came to accept their relationship, but in the grand gesture and schemes of Love itself...Levi was a fish out of water. 

_Should he have bought Eren flowers? No, he might’ve liked a whole large variety of chocolates. Then again, he might make Eren sick from too much sweet or even worsen his whole sleepwalking._

“Levi,”

_Making dinner in his room was a common thing they did, in fact, the Brat barely noticed the difference between normal simple meal prep and the number of preparations and ingredients for the steak just to make it taste like any five-star restaurant._

“Um, Levi,”

_No, its Valentine’s, maybe the Brat would’ve been up for an evening outside, an actual, and legitimate date, where they could’ve watched a movie, went out for dinner and have a nice stroll down the park_.

“Levi!” Eren’s fingers wrapped around Levi’s hand and the warmth of his skin snapped Levi out of his train of thoughts. Under the dim lights, Eren’s jaded eyes had those hints of gold in them, that Levi only saw on very few glimpses that sent his heart racing, and butterflies to flutter in his stomach. Often, it was the kid that Levi had to pull out of his own head, being on the other end of the situation, caused both of them to laugh, until eventually, Levi pulled Eren’s hand up to his lips and kissed the back of the hand. “Are you finally with me?” Eren asked, but not pulling his own hand away. “I was saying that maybe we should go out. It’s Valentine’s and all. I just want to try normal stuff while we have the chance.”

The light blush on his tan skin only added to Eren’s charms that, Levi still wondered how was it possible for him to be that lucky to have him? He let his thumb trace over the bumps of Eren’s knuckles and set the glass of wine down near his plate. “Normal stuff,” he mused, in truth, none of the two of them could be in the same sets of normal. Levi being a trained, espionage spy and assassin. While Eren being a thousand year old immortal, tied to a magic sword. “Eating dinner, with the person that I cherish seems normal.”

Eren rolled his eyes, and with his free hand, he stabbed into the piece of steak and shoved it in his mouth. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” He muttered in between bites, “I don’t know normal, but I do want to experience going out on a date.” The resolution in Eren’s voice made it difficult for Levi to even say no. What even was a proper date? If Eren lacked in the area of normal, then Levi was even worse. _But you’d be willing to try._ A part of him whisper, and the subtle motion of Eren’s thumb across his knuckles showed Levi, he was willing to try as well.

“Let’s try then,” Levi said back, and who was he to deny when Eren’s face lit up with such dazzling smiles that continued to nurture emotions within him, he hadn’t felt for years.

\-------------------

**_Tips to a Perfect Valentine’s By Hanji Zoe!_ **

  1. _Wear something nice for your significant other._
  2. _Shower him with compliments and don’t be afraid to smother him with affection._
  3. _Go on a date! Take him somewhere nice._
  4. _When the night is near over, then head on home for a nice cuddle under the covers :D_



Step one already proved as a challenge for Eren. He didn’t have too much of his own clothes, to begin with. Finding something nice to wear proved as a challenge, since...he never dated, ever. Even though he promised Levi that he’d handle most of the awkward parts of the evening out, he forgot to anticipate that, he was the factor of awkwardness. Since they met months ago, the most that Levi saw of his clothing were the Survey Corp’s uniform, his royal knight’s ceremony suit, and a bunch of jeans, hoodies, and sneakers. It’s at those times when he should’ve listened to Mikasa, and actually used the fortune under his name to buy basic necessities, like clothes that screamed _boyfriend material_.

Levi took care of washing the dishes, but before he headed inside the shower, the Raven asked where would they be going? Immediately, the Hizuru couple from the city’s marketplace came to his mind. “Just wear, um something comfy I guess, there’s this thing going on in the marketplace we could try.” 

Eren sighed and gone through half of his wardrobe for something even close to impressive to wear, that wouldn’t make him look stupid. It’s his first Valentine’s, and even though he couldn’t believe it’ll go smooth sailing, he still had to try. Soon, he heard the sound of the shower being turned off. He swore under his breath and settled to grabbing one of his plain white shirts, and the nicest pair of pants. At the last minute, he noticed the maroon jacket that hung on the far end of his cabinet, a Christmas gift from Armin, and decided to shrug it over the shirt. Eren went over to the mirror and blanched at how his hair appeared more disheveled than it normally was.

By the time, Levi walked into their room, he shook his head at how his boyfriend tried to meticulously tame his locks into place. Giving Eren a once over, all he wanted was to ravish the sun-kissed skin man before him. The faded jeans accentuated his long legs, while the simplicity of his shirt and jacket brought out the shifting shades of green in his eyes. If anything, he might have to give Armin the credit that the jacket did make Eren look more of a young man that fit his appearance. A boyish charm that fits Eren like a glove. Levi leaned against the doorframe, while the other attempted to tame his hair with hair gel, which only caused one side of his head to appear like he got a cow to lick the tips of his hair in odd directions.

“Just leave it,” Levi said and stood behind him, but the Brat still found it in himself to pout, and he couldn’t help it but run his fingers through the thick brown locks, and ruffling it, causing Eren to groan, and playfully slap at the hand on the top of his head. “It’s a perfect mess.” was all Levi said and leaned down to place a fleeting kiss to the back of Eren’s head. Eren tilted his head up, and gave him a sheepish smile, _this brat’s going to be the death of me_.

The two eventually reached the marketplace, the center of the festive mood for Valentine’s Since they’ve left the Survey Corps building, Eren held Levi’s hand and the two never let go as they walked side by side. The cool breeze of the evening did only minimal wonders to the way his heart jackhammered through their walk. While Levi had always been content with their minimal talking, Eren’s head was running on so many ideas to try in the short five hours left of Valentine’s. Once they passed the archway of the marketplace, Eren’s eyes zeroed in on the small stand that sold warm hot chocolate. “Let’s get some that!” He all but dragged Levi, before the Raven could even comprehend where he was being led to.

A middle-aged man, with a red and white striped shirt and black bowtie, grinned at them and gestured to the large steaming pot of rich chocolate. “Would the lovely pair want something sweet for the evening?” Eren’s eyes remained drawn to how the man stirred the wooden spoon around the liquid of dark chocolate.

“Two cups please.” Levi voiced out the inner yelling of need obvious on Eren’s face. As Eren was adamant about not letting go of Levi’s hand, the couple used their free hand to take casual sips of the thick drink. While other couples around the marketplace enjoyed the different knick-knacks being sold by merchants, Eren led Levi toward the giant tent with multitudes of Hizuru silk hung along thin wires around it. “We’re seeing a matchmaker?” Levi said in disbelief, while Eren tipped his head back to gulp the last sip of his drink.

“You know of them?” He asked, and Levi rolled his eyes. The purple tent of Yuki, the Hizuru love expert, was widely known in Marley. Some soldiers from his old troops would flock to her for advice on flirting and finding a wife. Since Eldia only began to open its borders towards foreign trade, and Eren’s only recent exploration towards modern internet, it came to no surprise that the brunette had little to no knowledge with famous people.

“I’ve heard of their reputation.” Sure enough, a beautiful, and tall Asian woman came out from the tent and beckoned for Eren to go into the tent, as if expecting them to be there and not the long line of enthusiasts wanting the secret formula for their happily ever after. Yuki wore a pure, midnight blue Kimono with a plain white sash wrapped around her slim waist. From all the months he’d seen her on youtube, for once, Levi was at the loss of words with how stunning she was in real life. 

Yuki bowed the minute Eren was near her and gave a quick glance at Levi before a knowing smile crossed her lips. “Welcome, I’m glad you came.” She pulled open the flap to her tent and nodded for them to enter. “Please, sit, and I’ll prepare the cards.”

The inside of the tent held various ornate trunks that held most of the silks from outside. A scent of peppermint filled the air, that for Levi, it was oddly out of place, amongst the crystals that lined the shelves behind a round table. Eren gawked at the hanging wind chimes, that cast soft lights of color on the furred rug below their feet. Everything about the inside of the tent, screamed of strange voodoo magic, that Levi had a sneaking suspicion on the lady’s authenticity of arcane arts after his own bouts of mages after coming to Eldia. “Don’t mind the trinkets, those are just for display.” She said, and with light steps, walked toward her desk, and settled crossed leg behind it, while motioning for the two to follow.

Ever the eager puppy, Eren dropped to the floor and patted the soft spot right next to him. Yuki hummed to herself as she stepped out through the back of the tent, to get her cards. Besides Levi, Eren leaned closer and nudged his shoulder. “I didn’t know we’re going to play card games here. It seems fun!” He looked at Eren as if he grew another head, which only prompted the other to laugh out loud to the point he clutched his sides. “Relax, Lee, I know she’s going to do some weird reading shit on us.”

“If you knew, then why are we were then?” Levi asked to the point, still not really fully understanding why Eren wanted to spend Valentine’s...with a matchmaker?

The hand that held Levi’s gave it a small squeeze before Eren gave him that sheepish smile that Levi would never admit that he’d adore before the brunette explained in a hushed voice. “The man with her, Cole, said something about fate and strings stuff earlier, I don’t know, I’m just curious if it’s something just like my bond with you...since you’re my Corporal and all.” Then, Eren shrugged and scratched the back of his head. “I like you...a lot, and this is all new to me, that it’s not that I doubt my feelings for you, but it makes me wonder if there’s some weird magic that binds us together, more than just a spell caused by an ancient sword.”

Levi froze, and while his drink sat neglected next to him, Eren’s words did fester the doubts he had after the expedition. Before, Levi was bound to Eren by magic. He used to feel every single pain and emotions that rolled off the Brat, because of the sword. Since it’s destruction, some part of Levi knew that the bond was still there, but had gone silent, the farther they distance themselves from the mountains. At times, he missed the closeness of their minds, the ease of how they expressed their thoughts without having to voice it. In fact, Levi wasn’t the man good with talking in general. That talent went to Zeke and Erwin. He sighed, and placed a gentle kiss on Eren’s temple, causing the brunette to turn to his direction with furrowed brows. 

“Yeager, sometimes, you drive me crazy with your ideas, but if it’s to put your mind at ease, then, let’s see what this lady has to say about it.” 

“Aww, aren’t the two of you sweet.” Both of them turned at Yuki, who sauntered over to the other side of the desk while shuffling a large deck of cards in her hands. Levi eyed the cards skeptically, his uncle’s inner voice of how fortune telling and tarot cards were one of the biggest scams, echoed in his head, but for Eren, he decided to play along. “Now, when I first saw your partner here, I saw a very different kind of cord that tied him to you.” The woman sighed, with a dreamy expression on her face, before placing the tall deck of cards before them. “A golden ribbon, that binds his heart, to yours. A rare type of bond, I have only seen it a handful of times.”

Eren leaned forward, while Yuki split the deck into three equal piles, lined across at the center of the table. “Normally, I don’t do readings for bonded people, unless they capture my interest. Most of my reading is to help those with tangled strings along the path. With the two of you, The line is drawn taut, so close as if the stars have truly wished to stitch two beings together.”

Levi rested his chin against the knuckles of his free hand, while Eren listened with enraptured attention, he clung to every word that Yuki spoke, while Levi rubbed soothing circles on the back of Eren’s hand. “What are you going to do then?” Eren asked, just as another person entered the tent, through the back. The man wore a crisp, business suit, with a jade ring on his left ring finger. Yuki turned to the man, and held out a hand, for the other to place a bowl full of strawberries coated with chocolate on her awaiting palm. 

“Thank you, Cole.” She whispered and placed the bowl before them. “For a snack. Please, take one, a complimentary, and a treat.” Yuki mused, but neither of them made a move to take the berries from the bowl. Yuki cleared her throat and waved to the three decks on the table. “Each deck of cards holds a sign of where your relationship will lead you. I wouldn’t dwell on the past, for I know from the second I saw the taunt cord between you two, how long and exhausting the journey was, before reaching each other.” She turned to Eren and placed the deck from the far left towards him. “Especially you, child. You’ve waited a long time haven’t you”

Between them, Eren’s fingers tightened around Levi’s that all the Raven brought for comfort, was not ceasing the soothing movement of his thumb, but eventually reached for the bowl and placed it on his lap. If he must, he’d shove the whole strawberry to Eren’s mouth if the lady read too much into their shared past. “Shuffle the cards, my dear, and let your partner take a card.” Doing as she instructed, Eren momentarily loosens his hold on Levi’s hand and went to reshuffling the deck given to him. Once he was satisfied, he spread the cards like a fan to his hand and showed it to him. Levi pulled the fifth card near Eren’s right and placed the card at the table next to the remaining two decks. Yuki then asked for the deck and placed it under the table.

The woman flipped the card over to reveal a golden painted sun at the center of the card against a dark blue background. “What does it say?” Eren asked, his head tilted to the side, while Yuki laced her fingers together and delicately traced the edges of the lone card. 

“The first deck represents the direct energy that flows between you both through the string, as well as what drew both of you together and the reason the string binds you. A sun card symbolizes happiness and positivity. For fated love like yours, this truly is a good sign. Most are usually drawn to their fated ones through other driven emotions. Or try to match their polar opposite card persona with their partners. The sun card shows that it is a warmth that drew you both together is that fiery energy that ignited within. A source of fire that shared between two souls that depend on the other to keep such connection alive.”

Levi thought back to the first time he and Eren fought on the field. The day, where every single part of his body felt alive and burning as if a literal inferno burned through him with every strike of Eren’s sword against his. Next to him, Eren took one of the strawberries and swallowed it whole, but left the lefty end out. Yuki then drew Levi’s attention again, as the right deck was splayed before them. “Now, Eren, you draw a card.” For an odd reason, Levi began to feel nervous about what the next card would predict about them. 

His eyes trailed on Eren picking the card at the center of the splayed pile, and Yuki gestured to flip it over, revealing a man hanging upside down. A small frown formed on the woman’s face, before neatly setting the pile aside. “My dear, this is the hanged man.” 

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Eren laughed nervously, while taking another strawberry and offered it to Levi. At first, he didn’t like to accept it, but gave in, once Eren tapped it lightly against his lips. The sweet taste of the strawberry barely distracted Levi from Yuki’s reading. “The right deck represents the nature of your partner. The card you chose revealed a major shift that will happen between both of you in the future, and how it would influence your partner’s choices.”

Levi tensed at the words, and immediately remembered the warning given to him back at the sanctuary that nearly spoke of the same warning of his decisions in the future. “Care to further elaborate?” Levi prompt, while Yuki examined the card with genuine worry and curiosity. 

“The card whispers of a great choice for you in the future. The hangman often represents it, the choice of great loss, and reward.”

“I like the reward better,” Eren muttered, and took another strawberry. 

“Yes, soon, you will be faced with a choice that would test both of you to great lengths. However, should you be able to soldier through this loss, will you be able to find each other again, and forge a stronger bond.” Yuki further explained, and a lump formed in Levi’s throat.

“Are you saying...we’d be separated in the future?”

Yuki flipped the card over and over for a moment before she lifted her half-lidded eyes back to Levi’s hard stare. “The cards could only reveal me glimpses of what is, and what is to come. It showed me that soon, you will face a sacrifice that could both hurt and strengthen you both.”

“What if we just avoid it then?” Eren asked between his bites, while Levi looked carefully at the upside-down man drawn on the card before them.

“One can’t avoid his fate forever, and both of you seem to have a good understanding of this.” She replied, and the crestfallen expression on Eren’s face was enough of a signal for Levi to stand, and pull Eren with him. 

“We are done here for tonight.” He said flatly, and the lady bowed, her eyes clearly showing regret at the card Eren pulled. 

She tapped one finger against the remaining deck that was yet to be picked through. “This deck here, tells more about a challenge to come into your shared fate. It will not reveal however how to overcome it. Merely to warn about what the challenge might be.”

Levi glanced at Eren, but the brunette appeared more afraid of what the card would reveal that Levi had to place his hand on Eren’s shoulder to remind him that they were still within the tent, and physically were still standing together. “Sorry, but I think this was a mistake,” Levi muttered, and proceeded to pull his wallet but the woman shook her head. 

“No need to pay, this is on the house. I do apologize for how this took a turn we least expected, but I never lie with what the cards show me.” She said proudly, but Levi snorted and began to guide Eren out of the tent. 

“We’d defied fate before, so screw that omen shit.” He said over his shoulders and pushed out of the tent, letting the cool breeze of the evening numb the dread that hung between them.

Eren barely spoke to Levi as they walked back to the Survey Corps quarters. He wanted to snap the brat out of the prediction, call out on how Yuki’s predictions were a hit or miss, but he felt like words went from one ear and out the other.

Eventually, Levi finally snapped, and once he got the brunette into their room, he guided him to their bed, shrugged the red jacket of his shoulders, and kneeled between Eren’s legs as he sat by the edge of the bed with a sad expression on his face. Levi wanted nothing more but to return to that tent and burned it to the ground with how dead Eren appeared. He cupped Eren’s face with his hands, and those green eyes finally stared back at him. “Hey, it’s just a bunch of silly talking from a crazy lady, remember that.”

Tanned hands folded over his, as Eren tried to calm himself and focus on the warmth between the calloused fingers that caressed his face. “Yeah, but, I’m sorry I made our first Valentine’s day shitty.” He murmured, and Levi chuckled while he leaned forward to capture the soft lips of his lover, before pulling back and stared at Eren sternly.

“Remember, we faced bigger crap than a fortune teller. We’ll go through this, like we usually, do, together.”

Eren nodded and pulled Levi up from where he knelt on the floor, before wrapping his arms around Raven’s neck and deepened the kiss between them. He didn’t want to think about any more hardships, heck, he and Levi deserved all the fucking good life after the hell they’ve been through. Sensing the pain through the way Eren’s fingers moved to Levi’s hair and tightened his grasp, Levi prod Eren’s lips to let his tongue in, which the Brat immediately gave access to. Soon, their tongues met and their bodies firmly pressed against the large bed, Eren held Levi with such need, that Levi moaned into his mouth as the kiss deepened. 

“Fuck, these clothes, and Valentine’s,” Eren finally managed to say, after pulling away to catch his breath, while Levi skimmed his fingers under Eren’s shirt and Eren’s muscles to flex and flinch as he trialed his hands up and down his flat stomach and chest. 

Levi chuckled and leaned forward, pushing the brunette further up the bed, sliding his leg between Eren’s as the Brat further spread his limbs to wrapped down Levi’s waist. “We still have all night to fully celebrate it though.” He whispered against Eren’s ear before biting into Eren’s earlobe, causing the man under him to moan, and wright enough to press his clothed erection against Levi’s stomach.

He could feel his own hardness making his pants uncomfortably tight at the sight of lust-blown eyes that pleaded with Levi to forget the crappy evening. And Levi was sure as hell to make sure that he’d make Eren forget about the matchmaker. “Want to do my own plans for the evening, Brat?” He teased, as his hand traveled down to Eren’s pants and let his fingers ghost lightly against the obvious bulge. Eren groaned, but Levi silenced him with another kiss, as the brunette tried to pull him closer while Levi’s hand worked to remove the jeans. “Let’s celebrate a proper vacation now, shall we?” He murmured and trailed feather-like kisses along the sweet skin from the neck up to Eren’s jaw.

Levi felt Eren nodding, before green eyes met his, with a large grin on his face. “Yes, Corporal.” the brat teased back, before drawing him closer to kiss his forehead letting their love flood over the worries they wanted to forget at the moment.


End file.
